


the stars are closer

by baecobz



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Basketball, Alternate Universe - High School, Basketball, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Skateboarding, Theatre, lapslock, yukhei has a rlly rlly good support system
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-20 04:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14887934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baecobz/pseuds/baecobz
Summary: yukhei's used to losing, but having two boyfriends there to comfort him? that takes some getting used to.





	the stars are closer

**Author's Note:**

> title from "all the stars" by kendrick lamar and sza  
> major major thanks to mel for giving me the idea for this!!!!! ure an angel tyyy

yukhei is no stranger to criticism; when he was a kid, the dirty looks came with his loud laughter and quick commentary, only to grow as he learned how to paint his own nails or smudge drug store eyeliner across his lids.

high school brought a few changes, but not enough to make a major difference— being on the basketball team may have helped a little, but having two boyfriends didn’t.

even so, yukhei wouldn’t trade his relationship with donghyuck or jeno for anything else in the world, not when they’re probably the most beautiful people he’s ever laid his eyes on. because both donghyuck and jeno are so different from yukhei and each other, yet they never stop finding things in common. because they’re wonderful and talented, and so full of warmth and love that flowers always seem to stand up in their shadow. perhaps yukhei does, too, and that’s why the criticism has stopped bothering him so much lately. (after all, you can’t be bothered by what you can’t hear.)

then there are times like this: yukhei, alone and nearly drowning in self-loathing, too far underwater to reach for the lifesaver that either of his boyfriends could provide.

their team had lost today’s basketball game— _badly_. what had used to be old rival school had somehow transformed into an unrecognizable powerhouse, and yukhei had just been at the forefront of the slaughter. he’d gotten knocked down and fallen more times than he had in years, knees bruised and shaking by the time he headed home.

neither donghyuck nor jeno had gone to the game, thankfully; yukhei would only have hated everything more if he knew they had to watch every missed shot and misstep.

(there had been so, so many.)

yukhei barely makes it up to his front door before it’s slamming open in front of him and jeno is tugging him inside, arms wrapped around him in an instant.

yukhei can’t even process it, just stands there and tries to appreciate the moment as much as he can without collapsing on the spot.

“c’mon.” yukhei hates the sad look jeno gives him, hates the fact that he can’t do anything but follow him up the stairs to his room. out of the corner of his eye, he can see his mother sitting in the living room, smile gentle and familiar even from yards away. they make eye contact for a moment, and her expression turns impossibly softer. as jeno tugs him away, yukhei is struck with just how lucky he is to have parents and boyfriends who love and understand him so well, even when he messes up.

when they get to his room, donghyuck is sitting cross legged on the bed with an unopened bag of chips and bouquet of flowers in hand.

yukhei is left breathless, back on land but equally incapable of gasping air into his lungs. on days like this, he wonders how he managed to get the two best, most loving people in the world as his boyfriends. he’s still standing by the doorway, jeno moving to grab the first aid kit from yukhei’s bookcase; it’s kept there for the occasions when they crash at yukhei’s house after jeno hits the skate park or yukhei has outdoor training.

they all have one, as per donghyuck’s insistence, and yukhei is just further reminded of how indescribably sweet his boyfriends are.

jeno tugs the kit down and puts the flowers on his desk while donghyuck kicks the chips to the side and tilts his head, never doubting or questioning, just accepting yukhei with all his faults and loving him anyways.

“hey you big baby, why are you just standing there? get over here.” donghyuck’s arms have never looked so inviting before, and yukhei has to remind himself _i deserve this_ before tumbling onto the bed and next to donghyuck’s side.

jeno has to push yukhei around so he can put ointment on his scrapes, yukhei settling with his back against donghyuck’s chest, legs sprawled out across jeno’s lap. he feels so, so loved, and the feeling only increases when donghyuck presses a kiss to his forehead and jeno murmurs bits of encouragement. if it’s quieter, yukhei’s always less inclined to argue, so jeno keeps his voice low and soft as he showers the older boy in affection and compliments.

eventually, they shift enough so that they’re all lying down with yukhei somehow stays sandwiched between the two smaller boys, a mess of legs and blankets that feels more like home than any building ever could.

“you guys didn’t have to do this, you know. i wasn’t even gonna tell you about the game.” yukhei’s still not very good at saying _thank you_ without putting himself down first. (or actually saying the words themselves. it’s a work in progress.)

“don’t feel too special. we were cuddling for, like, an hour before you came back.” donghyuck picks at his nails in typical _i love you so much but i’m not gonna admit it or else i’m going to cry_ fashion. jeno rolls his eyes, but yukhei can’t even pretend to ignore the fondness in the gesture. it’s echoing in his own chest, too, loud as it hits every corner of his lungs in agreement. donghyuck keeps quiet afterwards and just moves to hold yukhei’s hand to press the briefest of kisses to his knuckles. _you’re special_ , the movement says, _and you’re loved_.

“we got your back.” jeno mumbles eventually. he turns onto his side so he can look at yukhei better, eyes dark and wonderful as ever. yukhei absolutely loves it when jeno looks at him like this, with undivided attention that makes him feel like he’s earned every bit of support he gets.

they end up deciding to stay the night, and it’s only half surprising; donghyuck was supposed to head home, but yukhei could hear from the bathroom when he had whispered to jeno about a text mark had sent him (definitely about the crushing defeat from the game, since mark had been shooting him worried looks from the bench the entire time. it was a little hard to deal with, maybe, but he’d rather have mark stressing over him and fiddling with his crutches than be back on the court with him, taking the same hits and losses).

and with that thought, yukhei realizes— of all the differences and similarities between him and his boyfriends, he's extraordinary glad that neither of them are on the basketball team with him. he’s not quite sure how he’d be able to look after them and still keep giving his all, or how he’d be able to comfort them after a loss when he can barely keep himself up. it helps, too, that their seasons are separate enough that they’re never as stressed at the same time; tech weeks are spread out before and after basketball season, and jeno’s skating competitions are typically during summer break.

that divide of time allows for them to pay complete attention to those events, to go to all of donghyuck’s shows and performances or yukhei’s games (save for today’s away game, which was a rare exception to the rule), or even jeno’s late night adventures to the skate park.

yukhei curls further into his spot in the blankets, nearly overwhelmed with gratitude for having so many impossibly wonderful people in his life. he’s still a little surprised, sometimes, to remember that jeno and donghyuck had so willingly let him into their relationship years ago, and he’ll never stop being grateful for it.

the two of them had been so beautiful together, shining in every way possible— now that yukhei’s with them, he can’t help but feel beautiful, too.

donghyuck makes everyone dinner despite yukhei's mom insisting otherwise, and the three of them eat on one side of the table as yukhei’s parents exchange smiles and knowing looks from across them. they make small talk about schoolwork and summer plans, anything light and exciting that could avoid the topic of basketball completely. yukhei's younger brother gives him a one-armed hug before he heads out for a sleepover or something, and yukhei smiles when donghyuck and jeno both reach for his hands under the table after his brother leaves.

jeno goes on about this new trick he's going to try to learn, and yukhei's parents nod along even as donghyuck teases him about how much he still struggles with kicking up his board. yukhei keeps his mouth shut, just focuses on clearing his plate and listening, but it doesn't even last a minute until donghyuck is asking him questions and roping him into the conversation.

it's hard not to laugh a little when donghyuck and jeno are there, and the two boys seem to make it their mission to make yukhei smile as much as possible. he can't even dwell on the ache of his elbows or the stinging in his chest when jeno is reenacting an incident from donghyuck's improv session and donghyuck is imitating jeno's ddr skills; even yukhei's parents are laughing, everyone bright in the most picturesque family photo yukhei can imagine. it's always nice to see just how well everyone gets along, but it's even nicer when yukhei feels down and worthless and he gets a reminder that he's important, that at the very least he brought these wonderful people together.

"go head back upstairs." yukhei's dad starts clearing the table, and the gentleness in his hand as he pats yukhei's shoulder doesn't go unnoticed, "your mom and i will clean up. relax a little."

"thank youuuu," donghyuck grins, already out of his seat and dragging yukhei along as he moves, "thank you too, mrs wong!"

jeno is right behind them, stepping on the back of yukhei's heels and giggling while they all scramble upstairs. there's a giddiness to their movements now, one that settles over their shoulders carefully as they slide into bed and curl against each other. yukhei's in the middle, again, and he can't deny how loved he feels when he's surrounded with warmth like this, his two boyfriends on either side and exuding affection.

"no matter how many times you fall, just keep getting up. we'll handle the rest." donghyuck refuses to meet yukhei's eyes, instead focusing on the nonexistent space between them and leaning impossibly closer. yukhei embraces the contact, just like he does everything donghyuck does. (it doesn't make accepting it any easier.)

"sometimes it's hard to get back up." yukhei mumbles. one of his hands, the one not clinging to either of his boyfriends, plays with the rips in his jeans. he's learned by now that it's best to voice his insecurities instead of keeping them to himself, because otherwise he'd end up losing both his hard-earned confidence and his openness with his boyfriends.

"that's what we're here for, too." jeno's kisses are always sweet and slow, but the one he gives yukhei now is the embodiment of pure, genuine love. being on the receiving end of it is unreal, if not uncontrollably overwhelming. he pulls back with crinkled eyes and a smile that tells yukhei he means everything he said, and donghyuck mumbles something about romantic bullshit, but he presses a kiss to yukhei's neck and holds his hand a little tighter anyways.

so. perhaps they’re not the most conventional couple, but they‘ve never needed to be— not when they have each other.

and honestly? the rest of the world can suck it, because they'll never have anything else this good.

**Author's Note:**

> poly ships own my entire heart and ass and nothings ever gonna change that  
> if u have other poly ships or cute misc ideas hmu on [cc](http://curiouscat.me/6woojin) or [twt](http://twitter.com/woo6in)!!!!! i wanna practice writing diff dynamics while i work on longer fics  
> also.. thank u so much for reading this.... i wrote most of this in a stromboli-induced haze last night fdsjkld I RLLY HOPE U GUYS LIKED THIS fksldj any kudos/bookmarks/comments r rlly rlly appreciated ure the best lov u


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